Take Off Blinders

OPINION - Reader Views

October 11, 2004

As I scanned the front page of this Thursday's Orlando Sentinel, that adage that "there are none so blind as those who will not see" leaped to the forefront of my thoughts. There, for all to see, is yet another official U.S. report, this one by top American weapons inspector Charles Duelfer, stating that there has been no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq since 1991. Also on the front page is an article proclaiming that President Bush still leads in Florida.

Since WMDs were the primary reason Bush said we needed to invade Iraq, the latest report stating they did not exist should provide credibility to the premise that the invasion was a major mistake in U.S. foreign policy. This should be yet another wake-up call to the American public that we have been misled about Iraq, and one that should cast considerable doubt on Bush's ability to lead in the right direction. But more than likely, it will be ignored by a large number of voters. Why?

It's because those folks, like Bush, choose to ignore the facts that run contrary to their own pre-established convictions. They, like the president, are in denial about the tremendous cost in the lives of our troops, to our economy and to our stature in the world that this horrendous blunder has caused.

Bush still leading in the polls? That's only a tribute to just how blind we really are. We simply cannot afford to be blind any longer. The future of this country is at stake.